If you are a patient seeing a practice nurse on a regular basis and you have a query about your condition or treatment you are welcome to ring the surgery to speak to the nurse of your choice. This will depend on the availability of the individual and the receptionist will advise you of this. The best time to ring is 12.30pm, if they are not available at that time the receptionist will take a message and details of your availability for the return call and advise you of alternatives if your message cannot wait.

Triage Nurse

Our Triage Nurses work alongside the GPs providing an accessible and efficient service for patients with minor and self-limiting illnesses such as coughs, colds, diarrhoea and vomiting, eye/ear/urinary infections and injuries such as cuts and sprains. They have completed advanced training which permits them to prescribe for the conditions for which they are trained.

Practice Management

The practice manager, Mrs Denise Lavey, is involved in managing all of the business aspects of the practice such as making sure that the right systems are in place to provide a high quality of patient care - this includes human resources, finance, patient safety, premises and equipment, and information technology. The practice manager supports the GPs and other medical professionals with delivering patient services and also helps to develop extended services to enhance patient care.

Denise is very happy to take feedback from patients. Please ask to see her while you are at the surgery or telephone her if that is more convenient to you.

Reception

Receptionists provide an important link for patients with the practice and are your initial contact point for general enquiries. They can provide basic information on services and results and direct you to the right person depending on your health issue or query. Receptionists make most of the patient appointments with the GPs and nurses. They also perform other important tasks such as issuing repeat prescriptions and dealing with prescription enquiries, dealing with financial claims, dealing with patient records and carrying out searches and practice audits.

Community Nurses

Direct Line 01202 528120

The District Nurse Team provide nursing services at home for those patients who are truly housebound or are too unwell to visit the surgery. Their workload encompasses an enormous variety of nursing duties within the home environment whether they are the elderly, those with long term chronic conditions, during more acute illnesses or for the terminally ill. In addition to these the District Nurses carry out assessments of those patients requiring compression hosiery at East Way Clinic.

The District Nurses are available on their direct line any weekday between 9am-4pm. During this time the answer machine will record messages. Outside these hours the district nurses are not able to receive calls directly. Before 9am and after 4pm calls should be made direct to the surgery, and urgent calls should always be made direct to the surgery on 01202 517333 where receptionists will ensure your call is dealt with promptly and appropriately.

Health Visitors

Direct Line 01202 537808

The Health Visiting Team provide a complete range of child development checks for children under five. Their work does not however stop there and they are happy to offer support and information regarding children of any age at any time. They have close links with the doctors and the school nursing service and are the co-ordinators of the childhood immunisation programme (those usually given prior to starting school). The H/V team are proactive in many areas of parent education offering courses in basic life saving training, baby massage and other areas of interest.

The Health Visitors are available on their direct line any weekday between 9am-4pm. If the health visitors are out at the time of your call or if you ring during the evening, at weekends or bank holidays you can leave a message and they will return your call at the next opportunity and the answer machine message will inform when that is likely to be. If you have an urgent problem you should telephone the surgery direct on 01202 517333